Thursday, April 07, 2005

Google And Microsoft..WAKE UP!

I couldn't reist posting a couple things I read while flying yesterday. So much news hit and it's hard to blog up at 35,000 feet.

This is what I have been trying to convey to all search engines for a while now. With suits coming from trademark owners and click frauders, the search engine business is under assault.

When these suits do get resolved and a standard revenue model is put in place, it won't matter because the mobile will have replace the PC for advertising. By the time you figure out how to create the master search engine, it will be outdated.

Why not leapfrog the PC and figure a way to penetrate the mobile advertising space now? There's a great way that will allow brands to communicate direcly with a consumer thru the mobile.

Get on the phone.

If you don't recognize this now and WORK WITH brands, they will be able to bypass you altogther.

Think of just a simple SMS alert from People magazine that I get. I opted in to receive breaking news on celebrity gossip (yeah I read InTouch magazine too but only for the pictures).
People magazine with a two inch square got my attention and will provide me with something of use, and in return they send me relevant texts.

Heres what I see happening. Let's say Procter Gamble decides to offer a breaking news service, or they do a joint marketing deal with FOX News. Send an SMS to XXXX and put in the subject "financial news alerts". Now Procter Gamble is sponsoring an SMS alert to your phone. They can include an advertisement to shampoo along the side.

Everybody wins. I get relevant news alerts, PG gets to advertise their product and FOX News because your news service of choice.

My point with all of this. Once the Procter Gambles, FOX News realize if they create a great mobile campaign, they won't need to be spending money on keywords thru a search engine. Procter Gamble and FOX News already has access to me.

So I say WAKEUP search engines, once mobile marketing companies start introducing some great campaigns (i've got some great ideas), the link between consumer and brand is created.

All the algorithms won't matter when a brand has their database of mobile phone numbers.


Meanwhile it is gorgeous here in Tempe. The mountains are beautiful and the cactus a plenty.


From FT.com Mobile phones to replace TV as most important medium.

Mobile telephones and other wireless communication devices will soon become the most important medium for advertisers to reach technology-savvy consumers, one of the world's leading advertising executives said yesterday.

The forecast by Andrew Robertson, chief executive of Omnicom's BBDO advertising agency, the world's third-biggest, underscores the uncertainties facing advertisers in developed markets as they shift from their traditional dependence on television

The problem for advertisers is that technological developments such as the spread of digital video recorders are giving consumers the ability to avoid TV commercials

Mr Robertson spoke as BBDO released a report that said consumers were now more willing to live without television than without mobile phones or home computers

The survey found that mobile phones users like to stay connected - even while they are asleep. More than 60 per cent said they kept their phones on and within reach 21-24 hours a day, and 15 per cent said that figure was 16 to 20 hours a day.

I'm telling you search engines, start finding a way to get the advertising dollars here.

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